A Little Surprise (and other one-shots)
by HorseGalFangirl9
Summary: "Because you do so much for us, we thought this time we'd do something for you." A mother's day one-shot. Slightly AU since all of the royal family survive the rebel attack at the end of The One. Post-series. NOW WITH ADDED UNRELATED ONE SHOTS. LOTS OF FLUFF!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first Selection FanFiction, so please don't be harsh. This is a mother's day prompt, so I made it slightly AU. It takes place after The One, but the royal family all survived. Just a warning that there might be some facts that I get wrong, and others that I made up. Please correct me if I'm wrong or if you have a better suggestion.**

**A Little Surprise**

Sunlight streamed through the windows of the room as Mary pulled away the curtains, waking me up. I sighed as I felt Maxon's arms around me, and wished that I could stay in them a while longer. But it was Mother's Day, and I had some last-minute preparations to do.

"Maxon," I said gently. "Maxon." When my only response was a snore, I decided to have a bit of fun. I mean, waking up at 4:00 was _his_ idea after all. "Mary," I whispered, getting out of the bed. "Can you get me a bucket of cold water? With ice? Please?" She stared at me in confusion for a minute before she realized what I was doing. She chuckled softly as she went to the bathroom to get my bucket.

After making sure that Maxon was still asleep, I went over to my desk and shuffled through my papers until I found what I was looking for. I scanned the page as I checked for the things that needed to be done. "The cake's done, the hall needs a few last-minute decorations, but the maids are taking care of that. I should go check up on that later," I muttered to myself. I knew I was stressing out too much, but I really wanted today to be perfect. I only wanted he best for my mother-in-law.

Amberly was just so… so… I can't even describe it. She just wants the best for everyone and goes out of her way to make her loved ones happy. I realized that we'd never really given her anything in return, so Maxon- sorry- King Maxon, Clarkson and I had made a plan to give her a Mother's Day party to say thank you.

The former king had a change of heart when his wife almost died trying to save him from a bullet. Amberly had been in the hospital in critical condition for a few weeks, but she pulled through. She's just so strong. After that, Clarkson apologized to me and to Maxon, and came clean to Amberly. She was devastated, I know she was. Yet she still loves her husband, and he wants to show her just how much he loves her back.

"Miss, I have your water," Mary said, breaking through my thoughts. "Thanks Mary." I said with an evil grin on my face as I took the bucket of water from her. I turn and look down at my sleeping husband, feeling a bit guilty for what I was about to do. I quickly pushed the feeling away as I poured the ice-cold water onto him.

He woke up with a jolt, sputtering and saying some very un-royal words. "What the- America!" he shouted, seeing me with the bucket in my hands. "Why did you try to give me an pneumonia?" I tried not to laugh at his shivering state, but failed miserably. "You said to… wake you up… at 4:00am… so I did." I managed to get out between laughs. "You should see your face!" He frowned at me as he got up from the soaking wet bed, and hobbled over to me. "Well, my dear, you should see yours," Before I could ask him what he meant, he tackled me, getting me wet in the process. "Maxon!" I cry. "I am not your dear!" He shakes his head at me in disbelief as we get up at get ushered away by our respective maids.

I wait patiently as my maids pick out my outfit for the day and get to work. Unfortunately, they don't let me see myself until they are done. I really hate it when they do this. "Are you guys done? Can I see now?" I whine. Very un-ladylike, I know, but I was honestly annoyed. Mary giggled at my impatience. "Not yet, your Majesty. Not yet." I huffed and crossed my arms as I waited for what seemed like an hour to see what my maids had done to me.

Finally, after a long, agonizing wait, Gelda, my new maid, told me, "You can look now." I turned around, and I almost cried when I saw my reflection. I was dressed in a strapless, sheer gold, a-line dress, with a big diamond embellishment on my left hip. The material of the dress gathered into the embellishment, giving it a layered look. My shoes were five inch open-toed heels, made the same color as my dress. My hair was twisted into a high bun with a braid in the front of my hair. A gold ribbon was braided into it. My make-up was light, with a slight smoky eye, bronzer, and a coral lip. A small tiara was sitting atop my head, the way it usually was. I never wore my crown.

"Girls, I- Thank you!," I gushed as I reached out to hug them. "It's a replica of Lady Amberly's look when she first entered her Selection. It was slightly different and another color, but almost the same." Gelda said. My heart warmed at the thought of how this would affect Amberly. I hope she got the message.

When I walked out the door, Maxon was there waiting. He was wearing a gold tux over a white dress shirt, and his hair was styled in a hot, messy way, his crown fitted atop his head.. "Hi, goldie," I joked as I walked up to him. "Don't talk, my dear. Look at yourself," he said jokingly. "Maxon," I asked. "Do you know what the gold is about?" "My mother always said how we were worth more than gold to her so…" he trailed off. I nodded in understanding. "Walk with me?" Maxon gave me his arm. "I would be delighted," I laughed as I took him up on his offer and we walked out of the room.

We made our way down to the Grand Staircase, going down to the Grand Hall, when we almost ran into Amberly. At the last second I pulled Maxon out onto the balcony. We held our breath as she walked by, hopefully not suspecting a thing. "That," Maxon breathed, "was close." "Tell me about it," I said as we hurried down the stairs. Clarkson met us in the middle of the hall, a clipboard in hand. "Ah! There you are!" he exclaimed. "America, they need you in the Great Room. Maxon, you need to go get the guests. I will go make sure that Amberly relaxes and doesn't walk in on the preparations. You know her, always on the move! Now go, both of you. We have an hour." As he walked away, I couldn't help calling out, "Nice cuffs!" I mean, they were. Gold is awesome.

As I walked into Great Room, I couldn't help but admire the decorations. The whole room had been decorated soft cream and ivory lace, giving off a golden glow. "So… I take it that Lady Amberly likes gold," I wondered out loud. "Yes," a maid came up to me. "Specifically amber, Your Majesty." I laughed at that. It made sense though. I spent the rest of the hour checking to make sure that all the decorations were done and that the music was set and that I was ready for my song at the end of the party. Amberly always said that she loved to hear me sing, so I figured, why not? I was just about to walk out when Maxon came bursting in, almost hitting me square in the face. He really is a loving husband.

"She's coming!" he yelled. Everybody ran to their respective spot, with me and Maxon on the sides of the doors. Not close enough to be hit, mind, you. That would be bad. The lights were shut, and we could hear the sounds of heels and hushed conversation through the doors. "… come here?" Amberly was saying. "It was closed off for breakfast." "Yes, my dear, but not anymore." I internally groaned at that. My dear? Really? Had Maxon taken that line from his father?

Suddenly the doors were opened, and Clarkson and Amberly stepped inside. "Clarkson… why are the lights-" The lights opened and she barely had time to register it before Maxon and I jumped out at her. "Boo!" I swear to God she jumped a mile high and whirled around to face us, hand on her heart. "What did you do that for?" Then, the rest of the room erupted with shouts of "Surprise!" and she jumped and whirled around again. "What is this?" she gasped, catching her breath. Maxon and I came up on each side of her. "Happy Mother's Day."

Her eyes widened. "Excuse me?" That's when the doors opened and the guests filed in. Royals from everywhere came in, along with Amberly's three older siblings and their kids. She looked back at us in shock, but we just pushed her toward them. I smiled along with Maxon when I saw her tearfully embrace her siblings, Clarkson by her side. Maxon and I made our rounds, thanking everyone for coming. They all said how nice this was of us, and how it was beautiful. At one point Adele came up to me and embraced me. Hard. When she pulled back, tears were streaming down her face. "Thank you," she said. "I don't think I've ever seen her this happy." "Hey," I replied. "What are daughters for?" She smiled at me again and left, leaving me as happy as could be.

Maxon and I made our way up to the stage, and everybody started clapping. "Thank you," Maxon said. "Thank you for coming here and being with us today. We planned this party for one reason; to thank the women in our lives. The women who raised us and taught us how to behave. Our mothers." It was my turn now. "Sometimes we tend to forget how important our mothers are, and how much they mean to us. At one point or another we all say that we don't need them anymore, but that is never true. No matter how embarrassing they can be, and no matter how much extra paperwork they make you do," I fixed Amberly with a pointed glare and earned a few chuckles. "The truth is that we'll always need them. Always love them. Happy Mother's Day!"

As Maxon and I stepped down, we were bombarded with people praising us. But we just pushed through. Finally we were met with the sight of Maxon's parents embracing, Amberly with tears in her eyes. When she saw us coming she brought us into a hug, tears streaming down her face. No words were said, the emotion in the hug was enough. When she calmed down, Amberly looked at us seriously. "Why did you do this?" Maxon and I looked at each other, and smiled. "Because you do so much for us, we thought this time we'd do something for you." "Oh, Maxon. Having you and America as children is all I need," Amberly tearfully admitted. "Well," I said. "We went that extra mile. For you, it was worth it." Amberly wrapped us in a hug again, but then she seemed to realize something. "America, your dress!" I looked down at it. "Yeah?" "It's… it's just like mine when…" she looked at Clarkson, then at me and Maxon's smiling faces. "Oh, you guys!" she exclaimed. "You know, Amberly,"I said. "I have a question." "Yes dear?" "How did you breathe in this dress?" I put my hands over my stomach as I doubled over. "It's tight!"

As she laughed, I looked up at her. She looked so alive, so happy. And in that moment all the tight dresses and paperwork in the world were worth it.

**Awww… I really thought that Amberly deserved that. All our moms do. Please review, follow, and favorite! And is you have read The One, PM me about your feelings. I want to know!**


	2. So We Meet Again

**Hey guys!**

**You have no idea how sorry I am that it has taken me so long to update, but I actually have a pretty good reason. My finals went on longer than expected, and then we had graduation to plan for and I got elected valedictorian so I had to work on that, and then I had family birthday parties and get- togethers and horseback riding competitions, so I've been kind of busy. Fortunately, summer's here and I have 4 weeks where I'm not in camp, so I will be able to update much more frequently! A thank you to ****Athenachild101 ****and ****martinezsami11 ****for the idea for this one-shot. The other ideas that I got will be made into one-shots within the week, probably on Friday, I promise. **

**Before we get started, I would just like to thank ****SelectionLoverForever, Catarinaskibs, Azalea, PokemonLuver151, Athenachild101, martinezsami11, Itsjustrach and Guest ****for reviewing, **** , nappyninja, martinezsami11, katieverburg, Romancefreak97, LittleLiarGleek, Itsjustrach, and Athenachild101 ****for following, and**** , crimson-angel1447, candy1928, SelectionLoverForever, Romancefreak97, and Mockingjay04 ****for favoriting. **

**Well now that that's done, let's get on with the story! BTW it's in Maxon's 1****st**** person point of view.**

So We Meet Again

"Oh, Maxon! Look at all the desserts in that bakery! Can we go? Please?" I let out a small sigh as I look over at my wife, who is absolutely giddy with excitement. I don't blame her, though. It's the first time either one of us has been out of the palace for about a year now, so I'm rather excited myself.

The years after the fatal rebel attack were particularly grueling, what with my immediate coronation, the wedding planning, all the funerals for the deceased, and the ridiculous amount of paperwork that America and I had to do. The attacks on the palace only intensified after the success on the last one, but the Southerners were finally subdued by the armed and trained Northerners, thanks to the Italians. Nicoletta and America had become best friends, along with Georgia and August, who had been married last month.

Put all of that together, and I guess it's pretty obvious why we haven't had the chance to get out much.

"You can go America," I say with a smile. "I'm going to make my way to the café. You can meet me there" I gesture to the little shop tucked away in the far end of the market. "Okay," she jumps a little to kiss me on the cheek, and runs off into the bakery. As I stare at her retreating figure, I shake my head in disbelief. That girl sure is something!

As I make my way to the café, I take in the sight of the bright blue, cloudless sky that hangs above me. Seeing it in person really isn't the same thing as seeing it out of a window. It's funny how you never really appreciate something until you have it taken away from you. The sound of children's laughter, the smell of freshly cut grass, it's something that most people take for granted. But I won't. Not ever again.

The bell jingles as I open the wooden door of the café, breathing in the smell of coffee and freshly baked bread. The woman at the counter seems a little shocked when she sees me, but she quickly smiles. "Why, Your Majesty. What an honor it is to have you in my café. Can I get you anything?" she says, her words carrying a southern drawl. I fight back the urge to chuckle. "Hello to you too. Could I get a mocha, two sugars, two milk?" "Coming right up!" The woman- Doreen, her name tag says- starts shuffling around, getting cups and spoons and coffee beans. "If you don't mind my asking, Your Highness, where is that lovely wife of yours? She always seems to be at your side," she says. I chuckle. "Oh, America went to visit the bakery. She saw strawberry tarts and flipped out. She should be joining me later." Doreen smiled. "Ah, yes. She is a lovely woman. We are so happy that she is our Queen, Your Majesty. You made the right choice." She hands me a streaming cup of coffee. "You have a good day, now!"

I gratefully take my cup and hurry to get a spot outside. As I settle down on a bench under an umbrella, I catch a glimpse of America chatting with the baker down the road. I smile as I take a sip of my coffee, bit almost do a spittake when I hear an all too familiar voice say my name. "Maxon?" I look up to see Kriss standing near me, arms filled with books and notebooks. She looks the same, dark hair, dark eyes, her skin slightly more tanned. A man stands beside her, carrying more books.

"Kriss," I say, setting down my coffee. "What a lovely surprise. How are you?" She smiles a real, honest smile that reaches her eyes. "I'm great! I'm running a program in the schools, you know the one I introduced for my project during the Selection? It's going really well!" I smile too. "That's amazing Kriss. I'm happy for you," I nod my head to the man beside her. "Who's this?" "Oh!" she exclaims, snuggling close to the man. "This is Leo. He's my fiancée." I look at him. "You are a lucky man, Leo. Kriss truly is an amazing girl." Leo smirks. "I know, Your Majesty. I can't imagine life without her." I smile knowingly, thinking of America.

"So," Kriss puts her books down on a nearby table. "I actually never got to apologize for the loss of your parents. I was actually quite fond of your mother. I'm sorry." I feel a small pang in my heart. "I was fond of her too." I sigh. "I'm okay though. America was there to help me through it. She lost her dad too, you know." Tears start to gather in her eyes. "Oh, she's such a strong girl. How is she, by the way? I'd like to get together with her sometime." "America's- well, she's America. Complaining about all the paperwork, making me fall head over heels for her over and over. She's having mood swings, though. And going to the bathroom often. It's weird." Kriss smiles knowingly. "Is she pregnant?" "No, I-" I stop mid-sentence. "I actually don't know. I mean, it's possible but-" Kriss puts her hand up to stop me. "Ask her."

She nods her head to the approaching redhead, a bag in hand. America smiles broadly when she sees whom I'm talking to. "Hey, Kriss! It's been so long!" They giggle as they embrace. "I've been meaning to set a date with you, but I've been pretty busy. I'd really like to go out sometime." America looks at her hopefully. Kriss smiles. "How about at 1:00 on Sunday?" "Perfect!" America cries. Leo looks at his watch. "Sugar, we have to go. The meeting's in twenty minutes." Kriss pouts. "Okay. Bye guys. I'll see you on Sunday, America!" "Alright. Bye Kriss!"

When Leo and Kriss are out of sight, I look at America. Her red hair catches the sunlight, and it stands out in contrast to her pale, flushed skin. As she looks at me with those gorgeous green eyes I remember what Kriss told me and take her in my arms. "America, I've been looking at you lately. You're acting different. Kriss proposed something to me, a reason why you could be acting the way you are." America raises an eyebrow at me. "Oh?" I take deep breath. "America Singer-Shreave, are you pregnant?"

Her smile is all the answer I need.

I hope you liked it! I'm sorry it's so short! The other two requested one-shots will be out on Friday or Saturday, depending. Please review, and if you have any other ideas send them to me. Tell me if you thought that this was good and what I could do to improve as a writer.

**Until next time,**

**HorseGalFangirl9**


	3. The Last Time (part 1)

**Hey guys!**

**I'm sorry that I haven't written a chapter in so long, but these one-shots are proving harder to write than I thought. I'm still working on the chapter where America and Maxon have kids, so I did this one instead. It might be a little crappy, so I apologize in advance. **

**A HUGE thank you to martinezsami11 and Kiren for reviewing. I swear that these reviews just brightened up my day and made me smile like an idiot. Another round of thank yous to Emeraldity123, Meg-sters52, daddyslittlefangirl, gabbana403, kaylie2000, linnearothi, shelley1998, and for following, and EWhisks (I love your stories by the way), fantasybookgirl, and for favoriting. **

**Thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed, followed, or favorited for making this my most popular story. (Averages of 6 reviews, 6-7 follows and 4 favorites per chapter, considering that I only have two real chapters on this story.)**

**This chapter will alternate between America's and Amberly's POVs, so review or PM me to tell me if it was confusing or not, so I know what to do for future chapters and stories. Once again, we are pretending that the king and queen survived the rebel attack at the end of The One.**

**WARNING: RATED T FOR VIOLENCE AND SWEARING. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER 12-13 YEARS OLD. **

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She had done it again.

It was amazing, really, how everything she did seemed to wrong these days. First it was the meeting with the government officials, where she completely botched the report that she had to give in, and they all left. All of them. She had yet to get a response for the apology letter she had sent, along with the good copy of the report.

Then it just so happened that she got sick on the _Report _last week, blaming it on a stomach virus that was going around. It was really embarrassing, and completely undignified. She's received letters wishing her good luck and good health, and every one brought on a new wave of embarrassment.

Now, she had struck again. She had just delivered the preposition speech of her and Maxon's new project: the elimination of the eighth caste. This time in wasn't government officials or the entire country's population that were bashing her for her actions. Oh no. Today, it was her loving father-in-law that had decided to take matters into his own hands.

The crack of the whip echoed around the room, making the already sinister sound seem absolutely deadly. Despite herself, America heard a whimper escape through her lips. She would never admit it, but she was scared. Scared of what Clarkson would do to Maxon. What he would do to her.

She wondered if it was selfish to be scared for herself. She was sure that Maxon was only scared for her. But at that moment, she didn't care. Clarkson was a horrible, horrible man, and she was sure that he would to anything to assure that she was out of the picture. She was sure that he was capable of murder.

"Well, well. Would you look at that? The five is trembling. Just as she should have always been." The venomous voice of the former king chilled America to the bone, and across the room she saw Maxon shiver. "You always acted so strong, Miss Singer. So sure of yourself." "It's Shreave," America managed to get out. "America Shreave." Clarkson gave a dark laugh. "Oh, in the legal documents, maybe. But you haven't truly become part of the family in our eyes. You haven't been accepted."

America felt herself getting angrier with each word he spoke. No, with every _lie _he spoke. She remembered Maxon's smile as she walked down the aisle on their wedding day. The way he almost started crying when they said their vows. The tender way he kissed her when they were pronounced husband and wife, as if she would disappear if he touched her any harder. Maxon loved her. Maxon accepted her. And so did his mother.

The image of Amberly tearfully hugging her after Maxon proposed flashed through America's mind, along with the memories of the afternoons that they had spent together, looking through photo albums or just listening to each other talk. She also remembered the few days before the fatal rebel attack, where she had gone to brush Amberly's hair and she had insisted that she call her mom. There was no doubt in her mind that Amberly loved her like a daughter.

It was only Clarkson that hated her, seeing as she had gone against him and challenged him. He hated her because she hadn't shown fear and had stuck up for what she believed in. He was too used to people bending at his will.

"You are the only one that hasn't accepted me, Clarkson. Amberly thinks of me as her daughter, and has very much accepted me. Maxon chose me. He chose me out of the thirty-five girls in the Selection. Your son loves me. You are the only one who has a problem with me, because you are still stuck in your own ways. Everything had to be the way _you _want it to be. Life doesn't work like that. I'm a part of the Shreave family, whether you like it or not." America stared up defiantly at him, not feeling an ounce of fear in her body. Of course, her defiance was soon replaced by pain.

Clarkson had hit her back with the whip, harder than she would have thought possible. Black spots swam before her eyes as she let out an ear-piercing shriek, the pain exploding down her back and circulating around all the other nerves in her body. This was what Maxon had to go through for years. This pain. The thought brought tears to her eyes. She immediately knew that she would never, _ever _let Maxon feel this way again. "What's the matter Your Majesty?" Clarkson spit the words out as if they were physically hurting him to say. "Not feeling strong and almighty?" "Father, father stop!" Maxon cried. Tears were streaming down his face as he struggled against his bonds, trying to get free. Clarkson laughed. "Oh, no. I don't think I will. It seems that this is a much more painful way to punish you, my son. To punish both of you!"

The whip came down on America's back again, harder than before. America screamed a blood-curling scream. Flashes of white flashed behind her eyelids as she struggled to remain conscious. She didn't even know why she was trying. It would be so much easier to give up, to escape from the pain. To go down, down, down…

That's when the door opened, and a voice shrieked. "CLARKSON!"

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Amberly walked around the gardens, savoring the peace and quiet that currently surrounded her. It usually never stayed this quiet for long. Even though she wasn't queen anymore, she could never escape from the hustle and bustle that always came with palace life. She smiled as she remembered something that America had said yesterday when they had been having their lunch together.

She had been telling Amberly about all the things that she had screwed up over the past three months, and he had gone on a little rant that she had never forgotten. "It's like everywhere I go, those mistakes still follow me. I can never get away from them. How am I supposed to learn from my mistakes if I keep getting reprimanded for them and never taught how to fix them?"

Oh, America. If only she knew how right she was. When she had first become queen, Amberly had made so many mistakes she lost count. She tripped, mixed up paperwork, had panic attacks, and even fainted once! She fixed those things by teaching herself how _not_ to do them, but it was hard when everybody was always pointing out her flaws. She understood America. She really did.

Amberly frowned a little as she recalled an instance where she walked in on Clarkson giving America a hard time about her messing up a government report. The poor girl had almost been in tears. She sighed. It was about time that she confronted Clarkson about it. It was no secret that he didn't like America, but now he was becoming down right cruel. A sudden thought blossomed in her head, but Amberly quickly shook it off. If he had harmed her… well, she would never forgive herself.

She entered the palace, and made her way to her husband's study, taking a guess that he would be there. She knocked. "Clarkson?" No answer. She opened the door, surprised to find it unlocked. One look around the room assured her that it was indeed empty. As she was turning to leave, she noticed that the stand where Clarkson kept his weapons had an empty spot. If she remembered right it was the place where his whip usually was…

Feeling a new wave of panic hit her, she scurried over to their bedroom, hoping to find him there. She knocked, but there was no answer and the door was locked. Defeated, she went to Maxon's study, hoping to ask him if he's seen his father. Her panic grew the moment she saw the door ajar. She stepped in, and her heart skipped as she took in the sight of scattered documents and an overturned chair.

She practically ran out of the room, going to alert guars when she heard the shriek. She stopped dead in her tracks as she registered the shriek as America's, having heard it once before. She slowly made her way to the master bedroom: The king and queen's suite. The closer she got, the more she able to hear.

"What's the matter Your Majesty?" came her husband's voice. "Not feeling strong and almighty?" "Father, father stop!" That was Maxon. Amberly started to run, fighting the urge to cry. This could not be happening! "Oh, no. I don't think I will. It seems that this is a much more painful way to punish you, my son. To punish both of you!" Amberly gasped as she heard her husband cackle maniacally and the sound of a whip meeting flesh. A blood-curling scream filled her ears, and she let out a sob as she realized who it was. She threw open the door, taking a second to take I the scene in front of her. Maxon in a corner of the room, struggling against the rope that was tying him down. On the other side, she saw Clarkson standing over a bloodied America, a blood-covered whip in his hand. She suddenly felt a surge of anger, pure anger that she had never felt before.

"CLARKSON!"

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Everybody says that they see an angel right before they die. America wondered if she was dying, because this was surely a miracle sent from heaven. Queen Amberly stood in the doorway, surrounded by a halo of white light. Her hair was flying out in back of her, thanks to the breeze that the door had created when she yanked it open. America then realized that the wings she thought she had seen were a hallucination, and the white was just her eyes losing focus. She was slipping, losing her grasp on consciousness.

"Amberly!" she heard Clarkson cry. "It's not what it looks like!" "Not what it looks like? What is it then?" Amberly asked in a low voice. It was worse than if she would have screamed. Clarkson opened his mouth, then closed it. For once, he had nothing to say.

"It seems to me that you have tied up our son and whipped our daughter. HOW COULD YOU CLARKSON!?" Amberly screamed. She advanced on her husband until she was right in his face. He was a good foot taller than she was, but the anger radiating off of her was enough to make her seem ten feet tall.

"I was teaching them a lesson," Clarkson finally managed to get out. "What they are doing is wrong for the country." Amberly was fuming. "Teaching them a lesson? By abusing them? For CHANGING THE COUNTRY? Quite frankly Clarkson, I agree with them. Eliminating the castes is a wonderful idea and will benefit the country greatly. You are no longer king, Clarkson. It's time to let your son take charge!"

Clarkson turned red. "You dare!" He lifted the whip, meaning to strike his wife. Amberly stood there, dumbstruck. Just as the whip was about to come down on her face, America came to her senses. Not having been tied down, America jumped in front of the whip and grabbed it with her hand, crying out in pain when the leather broke through her skin. Ignoring the pain, she pulled the whip out of a stunned Clarkson's hand, flipped it around and hit him on his left temple. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

With the adrenaline rush over, America's injuries got the best of her. The pain clouded her mind, and she was distinctly aware of someone catching her as she fell to the ground. She felt something wet land on her cheek. "I'm so sorry," came Amberly's voice from above her, thick with tears. America managed to shake her head and put her hand on her mother-in-law's shoulder before she succumbed to her injuries and everything went black.

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**Okay! How was that? Good? Bad? Let me know in your reviews! This is part one, and part two will be posted when I hit 15 reviews for this story. That isn't too hard right? And if I hit 17, I will post two chapters in one or two day(s). I will keep my word this time, unlike I did with my other story Amber. (Whoops?)**

**The first 3 reviews will get a sneak peek at part 2 of this two-shot or a sneak peek at chapter 5 of Amber, depending what they ask for. (Mention it in your review) If they don't have an account, then give me an idea for another one-shot and I will do it A.S.A.P. (If I get 17 reviews or more, I'll do it to everybody. If not, only the first three. **

**Until next time, **

**HorseGalFangirl9**


	4. The Last Time (part 2)

**OMFG! You guys are AMAZING! I asked for 15 reviews, and I got 21. 12 reviews! I was FREAKING OUT! Due to me updating so fast, I wasn't able to give you a sneak peek, and I apologize. At least you got a quick update, right?**

**Kiren (2): lol I do the same thing! I don't sign in for, like, half of the reviews I post.**

**Going for the win: Ahhhh! You reviewed my story! Twice! I am totally fangirling right now! Thank you!**

**PEETAMELLARKLOVER123: I'm glad**

**Fanficforev: Yes, thank you for being the 17th reviewer**

**LovableL101: I agree. King Clarkson is the worst. Oh, and I would love to talk about horseback riding!**

**Fantasybookgirl: Thanks!**

**Nappyninja: Sweet. Thank you!**

**Meg-sters52: That's actually exactly what I did… lol!**

**A total of 9 reviews for the last chapter. Wow… I hope this second part lives up to all of your expectations!**

**P.S. Listen to Hurt by Christina Aguilera as you read this. I find that it makes it a bit more of an interesting read**

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The Last Time Part 2

The palace was in a frenzy. Guards were detaining all of the staff, locking them in rooms until it was deemed safe to come out. Reporters were crowded around the exterior of the palace, trying to get the scoop on why the palace was suddenly in lockdown. Specialists were coming in, investigating why the queen was in critical condition, bleeding and unconscious. Rumor has it that the former king had done it, and he was currently in the dungeons, waiting to be questioned by the authorities.

The only place that seemed to have an air of peace was the hospital wing, the beeping of the heart monitor being the only sound to be heard. America was lying on a bed, eyes closed with a look of peace on her face. Numerous wires connected her to IVs, medicine, and monitors, assuring her the least amount of pain.

Maxon stood at the side of the bed, staring sadly at his beautiful life, tears running down his cheeks. He had tried so hard to protect her from this, but America had never really been one to make his life easy. She usually blatantly disobeyed him, did the opposite of what he wanted her to do. And that was what he loved about her. "Please, America. I'll never call you my dear again. Just please come back to me." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Please."

The sound of heels clicking on the marble floors caught his attention, and he turned away from America long enough to see his mother enter the room. Her face was a bit red and her eyes had slight bags under them, barely enough to be noticeable. But Maxon knew his mother, and he saw enough to know that she had been crying.

Seeing her son's tear-streaked face, Amberly held out her arms. Even though he was a good five inches taller than her, Maxon fell into the embrace and buried his face in the crook of her neck. She felt her neck becoming wet, and she held him tighter, wishing that she could just take all his pain away. She hated seeing her kids hurt. "Maxon, I'm so sorry. I-I should have taken the blow, I should have saved her. I should have known-" she was cut off. Maxon pulled away from her, drying his eyes and fixing her with a pointed look. "No, no you shouldn't have. It wouldn't have done me any good to have the two most important people in my life wounded. Besides, you couldn't have known. No one did."

That's when she saw it. The way his eyes left hers, how he stood a bit more rigidly and his mouth twitched. He was lying. "Maxon," she said warningly. "Maxon, I can tell you're lying. Someone knew. Who?" Tears welled up I her eyes as Maxon averted his eyes and stared at the ground. "Oh, Maxon what did he do?" "Nothing. He didn't do anything." Maxon said, unconsciously flexing his back. This move wasn't missed by Amberly, and she choked back her tears as she demanded, "Show me your back." Maxon's eyes widened as he opened his mouth to protest, but gave up once he saw the look in his mother's eyes.

He slowly turned around and took off his shirt, and he cringed once he heard Amberly's stifled sob. He knew what she was seeing. Pairs of thick scars, crossing over one another in an X formation, the newest pair still pink and raw. He felt a hand reach out and touch his back, and then drop as it was used to stifle another sob.

Whirling around, he grabbed his mother in his arms and held her as she cried, leaning against him for support. "How could I not have known? How could I have been so blind and not realize that my son was getting caned by his own father? I'm a horrible mother." "No, you're not. Mother, look at me." He pulled away and looked into her leaking eyes. "I went out of my way to make sure that you didn't know. I didn't want to cause you pain. You're the best mother a child could ask for."

"I agree," came a voice from the other side of the room. "You're loving, caring, sweet and you still make time for your family even when you have a bucket load of work to do. I know of some royals who neglected their children. Oh, and you won the Selection. I know I did too but-" a cough interrupted the little speech. A sound of pain escaped from a certain redhead's lips before she continued. "But I'll never compare to you."

Maxon and Amberly turned around to see a pale-looking America half-sitting in her bed, her face twisted into a half-smile that kind of looked like a grimace. "America!" Maxon ran over to her bedside and put a hand on he chest. "Lie down." She shook her head. "No. It hurts." Maxon looked panicked for a second before he sat on the bed next to his wife and pulled her onto his lap. Her back was off the mattress, but she was still at an angle where she wouldn't overexert herself. "Thanks," she muttered as she closed her eyes. "No, America," Maxon said. "Stay awake, at least until the doctor comes, okay?" Reluctantly, the said redhead opened her eyes and gave a curt nod. \

Maxon looked over at his mother. "Can you go get the doctor?" Amberly nodded, still choked with tears, and swiftly left the room. America looked up at Maxon questioningly, having seen her mother-in-law's tear stained face. "I take it that you told her about your back?" she asked. Maxon nodded. "Yeah. She kind of figured that something had gone on with my father and I. I didn't see any point in hiding it from her any longer." America sighed. "Oh, I feel so bad for her. Seeing me in this state, finding out that her husband is a jackass, and then finding out that he's a jackass that beats his only child must be really hard on her." Maxon smiled at America's description of his father. "Yes, I'm sure it must be."

They stayed in that position, in comfortable silence until the doctor came into the room, followed by Amberly. "Ah! Your Majesty. I see that you are awake. I thought that it would take a bit longer for your body to regenerate itself." America laughed, but winced right after. "Quite honestly doctor, I think it was the pain that woke me up more than anything else." A frown crossed over the doctor's face. "I guess I didn't give you enough medicine. Here, let me fix that." He went over to one of the tubes and took it out of her arm, replacing it with a new one. Almost instantly, America's muscles began to relax.

"There we go. Now, I recommend you get to sleep Your Majesty. You're doing fine, but your body really needs its rest to get better." America nodded. "Thank you, doctor." The doctor bowed. "Your Majesties." Then he walked out of the room. Maxon slowly lifted America off of his lap and kissed her head. "I have to go my love. Ill come and see you when I'm finished with my meetings." America smiled. "Of course my dear." Maxon looked at her, a look of mock-horror on his face. "Did you just say what I think you said?" America giggled. "Yes, yes I did." Maxon laughed. "Oh, America." He gave her one last peck on the lips, kissed his mother on the cheek, and walked out.

Now alone, Amberly walked over to America's side. The redhead smiled at her. "Hey," she said weakly, her words laced with drowsiness. Amberly gave a small laugh. "Hey," she said back. America's smile slowly turned into a frown. "He didn't hurt you, did he? After I passed out, I mean." Amberly shook her head. "You knocked him out, remember?" "Oh yeah…" America smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that." Amberly shook her head disbelievingly. "Why are you apologizing. We would all most probably be in far worse condition if you hadn't." She reached out and brushed a piece of hair from America's forehead. "You saved me. Thank you." America smiled. "Anything for you, mom." "Oh," Amberly whispered, feeling the tears coming again. She leaned over and kissed her daughter's forehead.

America smiled and let her eyes drift shut. She was fast asleep in seconds. Amberly smiled too as she took out a box that she had been hiding and put it on America's bedside. "Sweet dreams, my dear."

The door closed with a soft click.

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**So? How was it? Let me know in your reviews. I will update when I reach 25 reviews… can you guys do that for me? Please feel free to give me any suggestions on one-shots that you want to see. I completed the one where Maxon and America have kids, but I don't really like it. Please send me other ideas while I try to fix the chapter so I can keep updating. **

**Once again, you guys are the best! **

**Until next time,**

**HorseGalFangirl9**


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